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Zahir Brahimi
Character belongs to @chechensichkeria. Please don't edit this page unless authorized by me. Thank you. ***** Zahir Brahimi (Arabic: ظاهر براهيمي) is the holder of the Snake Miraculous. He is a 19-year-old Algerian college student and transforms into the hero Thueban '''(pronounced: THAO-bahn) with the help of his special arm cuff and kwami, Muayyid. History Zahir Brahimi was born in Algiers, Algeria to parents Yousef Brahimi and Chaima (née Meziane) Brahimi. He is the couple's second and last child after his elder sister, Malika. Zahir was born during the Algerian Civil War, and was only five years old when the conflict ended. When he was three, however, his mother, Chaima, abandoned the family. Zahir and Malik's were left only with their father Yousef, and Yousef fell into a deep state of depression after his wife's desertion. Because of the absence of a mother, Malika took on the role of being the "mother figure" or matriarch of the home, staying in at home with the saddened Yousef to take care of him and run the home while Zahir attended school. Without a proper mother figure, the right guidance, and a safe environment to grow, Zahir became a rather rebellious and untamed child. At a young age, Zahir became quite politically involved because of the "hot topics" in the country, and he can still be defensive and protective of his political standpoints today. One day, Zahir was approached by a strange man whose features were concealed, with the man handing Zahir a small box with Chinese-inspired engravings. Zahir never saw the man again. Thinking that whatever was inside the box was a scam, drugs, or advertisement, Zahir discarded the box somewhere in his messy drawer and never opened it. At the age of 14-15, hundreds of Algerians took to the streets for protest against politics, living conditions, etc… with young Zahir joining them. Together with his best friend Fayçal, Zahir rioted against the Algerian government. During one of their revolts, however, Fayçal was shot and murdered by the Algerian police right in front of Zahir, leaving Zahir traumatized and paranoid. His instability further developed when Yousef was also killed in the violence while trying to defend Zahir. After the deaths of two loved ones, Zahir began isolating himself from all others, especially Malika. He became gloomy and depressed and would be hostile to those who tried to talk to him. A few years passed, and with Malika now a legal adult, the two Brahimi children fled Algeria to Paris, France in search of a safer life elsewhere. Zahir started attending college with hopes of becoming a pilot, and for a short period of time, he harbored a strong dislike for France (as France was the country that took over Algeria and the Maghreb years ago). While unpacking the last of his belongings, Zahir found the strange Chinese box from so many years ago, wondering how it had found its way into his luggage. Nevertheless, he finally decided to open the box, revealing the Snake Miraculous and its kwami, Muayyid. Much like Marinette's first experience with the Ladybug Miraculous, Zahir immediately freaked out at the sight of Muayyid, with Muayyid sarcastically replying to Zahir's reaction (unlike Tikki trying to calm Marinette down). After his moment of panic, Zahir finally managed to calm himself so that Muayyid could explain the phenomenon that just occurred (though with a bored and somewhat cold tone). With some reluctance (and immediate dislike of Muayyid's sour attitude), Zahir accepted the responsibility of the Snake Miraculous and became Thueban. Personality and Traits '''Zahir: In all, Zahir is a complicated and complex character. When first meeting / encountering Zahir, he can come off as rude, cold, and distant. He mostly dislikes talking to strangers, and is actually quite irritable by most others. Zahir also manages to hold a reputation of mysteriousness (sort of like Muayyid), with most people not knowing anything about him. Because of his initial bitterness, Zahir has a more difficult time making friends. Most who have met him don't make attempts to try to know him better, so rumors of him being "creepy" and "weird" often float around. Underneath his gloomy barrier lies self-esteem and confidence issues that he has been facing for some time, and traumatic memories from his past that he wishes he could forget. Though he can be sour, Zahir mainly uses his coldness as means of defense and to protect himself from getting hurt. Those who do know him well can say that he actually means well and can be fun to talk to. He still can be quite shy, introverted, quiet, and even clumsy after warming up to him. When discussing topics that he cares about (ex. aerodynamics or politics), he can be passionate or argumentative. Often times, Zahir trails on and on about flight or airplanes if the topic is ever brought up in a conversation. In spite of growing up in rough times, Zahir is quite intelligent and strategic and is a fast thinker. He earned--and still earns--excellent grades at school, with aerodynamics, science, and mathematics being his areas of specialty. Fortunately, he still retains his trait of cleverness as Thueban. Thueban: As Thueban, his personality is somewhat similar to that of his civilian form, although exhibiting some qualities of his kwami, Muayyid. Though he is a hero, Thueban sometimes struggles between light and darkness, making him more of an anti-hero. Thueban possesses a sense of independence and prefers to work alone while defending Paris. He often gets irritated when other heroes try to get him to open up or to work with them. Working solo is still alright for Thueban, as he is usually capable of handling himself in fights. Unlike his civilian counterpart, Thueban lacks self-confidence issues and can sometimes be a little too prideful of his independence and ability to tackle most challenges alone. While in combat, Thueban is strategic and calculating, retaining Zahir's trait of intelligence and level-headedness. Most other heroes don't usually associate with him, with the some not even knowing of his existence (due to him keeping his trait of mysteriousness and solitariness). Because Zahir often bundles up and suppresses his true feelings, his inner anger and sadism can occasionally get the best of him as Thueban, with him having gone on fiery rampages before (exhibiting his "dark" side). Fortunately, these are usually followed by his realizations of his wrongdoings and his breakdowns and pleas for forgiveness. Appearance Zahir: At 6'3, Zahir stands taller than most of his friends (even those who are older than him), and can sometimes be self-conscious about his height when the topic is mentioned. Though he is tall, his physique is lank, skinny, and non-muscular, as he barely eats. Like most Algerians, Zahir has tan-brown skin, dark brown hair, and chocolate-brown eyes. His dark hair is usually slicked back, revealing his widow's peak. He also has a long, prominent nose with a high bridge and a sharp, thin chin. Zahir can usually be seen with dark eye-bags under his eyes. His signature outfit is a gray turtleneck top, a long, casual scarf, a saggy black jacket, and grey jeans with Converse sneakers. Around his neck is a small metal pendant carved in the shape of Algeria, and his Miraculous is a winding bronze cuff around his arm (it changes to green and becomes more "snake-like" after transformation). Thueban: Relationships Malika Brahimi: Malika is Zahir's older sister and guardian (in place of Chaima and Yousef after Yousef's death). Often times, Malika is assertive and authoritative around Zahir, much to his annoyance. Though she is only five years older than Zahir, she acts as if she is decades older than him. She usually treats him like a child or infant, which bothers Zahir very much. Malika's behavior is mostly because of the fact that Zahir lacks a mother figure, with Malika caring for her brother and wanting him to be safe and raised well. Malika is also an investigator in the Paris Police Force and is eager to learn more about the Miraculouses and the heroes/villains of the city. Because of his sister's determination, Zahir developed the skill of lying to her (and he does it quite well) when going out to transform or to roam around Paris. The two can quarrel from time to time and despite Zahir's annoyance for Malika, he still loves her (they're siblings, so...) and tries to prevent her from getting herself into danger by concealing his identity. Malika occasionally calls his brother "Zahi" (her nickname for him as children), which Zahir despises and gets embarrassed about. Muayyid: Zahir has a somewhat complicated relationship with his kwami, Muayyid. Unlike most other kwamis, Muayyid is often rude, sly, sarcastic, yet mysterious (especially compared to Tikki). He rarely talks--if ever--about himself, about the Miraculous, or about anything relating to aiding Zahir. Whenever Zahir goes to Muayyid for advice, the kwami usually replies with something along the lines of "Go figure it out yourself", which irritates Zahir. On a few occasions, Zahir has lashed out at Muayyid for his utter "lack of compassion" and "unhelpfulness", both of which Muayyid did not get offended by. Underneath Muayyid's apparent apathy lies dark secrets and years of experience from the past of which he is reluctant to share with Zahir (out of the young man's safety). Marcel Beauchene/Yaniv Shalev: Zahir's best "friend" and confidante is 34-year-old Israeli-French theologian and author Yaniv Shalev, known as Marcel Beauchene in France. Zahir often visits Marcel in his home in the heart of Paris, and enjoys learning about religion and life from Marcel. At first, Marcel showed an apparent dislike towards Zahir, but came to appreciate the young man after awhile. 'Hafsa ben Yahia:' Hafsa is Zahir's former girlfriend and the daughter of wealthy Tunisian businessman Idriss ben Yahia. The two dated for several months before Hafsa's father arranged for her to wed the equally wealthy stockholder Frédéric Marchand. Being a strong, independent woman, Hafsa gently turned down both Zahir and Frédéric. Soon after, Idriss fell ill, causing Hafsa to leave Paris to return to Tunisia to care for her father. After she left, Zahir lost all contact with her. 'Amira Dualeh/Gazelle:' Amira is Zahir's good friend. She is a talented 19-year-old athlete from Somalia, and one of the first people he met after arriving in France. Though he was not aware of the fact at the time, Amira did indeed harbor a crush on Zahir, both him in his civilian and hero form. Alain Lemaire/Le Loup: Alain Lemaire, a xenophobic gang leader, is one of Zahir's enemies. He was the former bearer of the Wolf Miraculous as Le Loup and used it for committing crimes, but it was confiscated from him (its current location is unknown). Alain and Zahir have engaged in numerous fights, usually with Zahir outsmarting Alain and his thugs to provide him with enough time to escape. These quarrels are usually due to Alain's racist mindset and Islamophobia clashing with Zahir (being that he's an Arab and a Muslim). After one incident, Alain and several others of his gang were arrested. He is currently in prison. Judith Vogel: Judith is Zahir's flight instructor and a long time pilot from Germany. She is cold, stern, strict, and serious, all of which Zahir dislikes. Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug: Zahir does not personally know Marinette due to their age difference (19 and 15) and school difference. He does, however, know of her superhero identity Ladybug, though he does not usually interact with Ladybug and the other Miraculous heroes when transformed as Thueban. 'Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir:' Like Marinette, Zahir has never met Adrien in person before. All Zahir knows about Agreste is his father, Gabriel Agreste, a famous fashion designer. As Thueban, he is also aware of Chat Noir, though he doesn't socialize with him, either. Trivia * The name "Zahir" is of Arabic origin and has three different meanings (depending on the letters and and etymological origin used). They are: ظهير, زاهر, and ظاهر. ** The form written as ظهير means "helper, supporter" and is from the Arabic word زهير (zahir). Al-Zahir is also one of the 99 names of Allah. ** The form of Zahir written as زاهر means "to shine, to radiate"; derived from Arabic زهر (zahara). ** The final form, ظاهر, means "to become clear, to emerge"; from Arabic ظهر (zahara). ** زهير‎‎ (Zuhayr) is also a related name, derived from the same root as زاهر. ** When translated into French (for the Maghrebi form), the name can be written as either Zoheïr/Zoheir (used in Algeria), Zouhair (used in Morocco), Zouheir (used in Tunisia), or Zouhir (both Morocco and Algeria). * Believe it or not, I did a helluva lot of research while creating Zahir. From Algerian history to Arabic names to the meaning of his name, I actually feel somewhat accomplished. Yay me. * Zahir and Malika were raised as Muslims by Yousef, but Malika sort of drifted from the Islamic faith while Zahir stuck to it. He is of the Maliki school of the Sunni denomination. * The college he attends, Académie D'Aviation et de Vol de Paris, was made up by me. It translates to "Paris Academy of Aviation and Flight" in English. * Zahir is vegetarian. * He loves couscous (North African dish) and mouna (an Algerian pastry). * His birthday is July 28. * Zahir can't curl his tongue (a rare trait), but he can lick his nose. * Zahir dislikes anime and manga. * He took lessons in Krav Maga as a child/teenager, and his fighting style as Thueban reflects that. * Zahir enjoys playing chess and is good at the game due to his strategic personality. * He is fluent in Standard Arabic, Algerian Arabic, French, and English. * Though Zahir dislikes most loud sounds, he loves rap and trap, especially Algerian rap, which reminds him of home. ** He dislikes rock-and-roll, however. * When I first created Malika & Zahir, I planned for them to be Bulgarian (Malika: Rayna; Zahir: didn't exist). I later changed them to Armenians (Malika was named Talin, Zahir was named Vardan), with Talin being my main character and a Miraculous holder and Vardan being minor. I then looked more into the ethnic composition of France, the nations that speak French, and me being completely obsessed with Gazelle (played by Algerian actress Sofia Boutella) from Kingsman: The Secret Service, I decided to turn Vardan and Talin into Algerians. ** After deciding to make him Algerian, I was initially going to name him Tahir, but Zahir sounded better. * Zahir absolutely despises Islamophobia and white supremacy (being that he himself is a Muslim…). * He was born in the Bordj El Kiffan neighborhood of Algiers, Algeria. * His blood type is O+. * Thueban, his hero name, is directly from the Arabic word ثعبان (thueban) meaning "snake". * Snakes are represented as good and evil forces in various cultures. In some, snakes represent creativity, rebirth (as they shed their skin), fertility, guardianship, and poison and medicine. As evil symbols, they stand for vengefulness and vindictiveness. The cross between light and dark reflects Thueban's association with both goodness and evil. * Thueban's weapon is an urumi, a saber-like weapon with multiple whips as ends that originated in India. His urumi, however, has venom tipped at the ends for use in combat. Category:Miracusonas Category:Miracusona Category:Miraculous holder Category:Miraculousona Category:Male Category:Chechensichkeria characters